Air conditioning system



y 1939. J. M. SPERZEL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed July 15, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q INVENTOR JbsEPx/ M JPE/PZEL ATTORN EYS May 16, 1939.

J.M.$PERZEL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM July 13, 1935 Filed 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR JSEP/r M jpfkza ATTORNEYS L INE y 1939- Q J. M SPERZEL 2 ,158,869

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed July 1:. 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR fOJFPA/ M 63 52242.

ATTORNEYS Patented May 16,1939

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,158,869 Am CONDITIONING SYSTEM Joseph M. Sperzel, Brooklyn, N. 1?. Application July 13, 1935, Serial No. 31,181

12 Claims.

This inventionrelates. to air conditioning and more particularly to the temperature control of an air cooling medium and to the control of means for refrigerating said medium, whereby efficient and economical operation may be automatically secure-d.

In accordance with prior practice it has been the aim to deliver cooling water to a dehumidifying and air cooling chamber at a substantially constant temperature and to vary the rate of.

increases rapidly. The heat removed per pound of water evaporated decreases only slightly per -degree of rising temperature whereas the volume of vapor' which must be removed per pound of water evaporated decreases rapidly per degree of rising temperature. If a high temperature of water is delivered from the evaporator the evacuator is not required to remove the volume of vapor produced against so great a pressure. difference between the evaporator and the condenser as when the water is delivered at a lower tem perature, and in addition the volume per pound is smaller while the heat removed per pound remains substantially constant. It is apparent moreover that the keeping of air and non-condensible leakage at a-minimum is aided at lower vacuums.

Varying the rate of water delivery through wide limits has the further drawback that the spreading out of the water spray issuing from the spray head is diminished as the rate of flow diminishes so that the surface exposure of the water in the evaporator is impaired whenever the rate of delivery is materially reduced from the designed maximum, and this results in a further loss of efficiency.

In accordance with the present invention it is proposed to maintain the rate of water flow substantially constant but to vary the temperature of .the delivered water in accordance with the thermal load imposed by the condition of the air to be treated. Preferably the absolute maximum value of flow will approach the intended or designed maximum value which the evaporator was designed to passunder maximum load.

To this end it is a feature of the invention that provision i's made of means for varying the rate of delivery of the water to the air cooling chamber within narrow limits, and of means sensitively responsive to changes in the rate of water flow for increasing the refrigerating effect of the water cooling means when the rate of water flow rises slightly above normal and for again reducing the refrigerating eflect when the rate of water flow is diminished.

It is'a feature of the present invention that this result is secured by providing a plurality of evacuating devices which may all be operated simultaneously to apply suction to the evaporator, and of means responsive to the slight variations in the rate of water flow for automatically switching one of said devices into and out of operation as required. The evacuating devices which are not subject to automatic control are desirably provided with individual manual control means sothat an attendant may disable one or more of such devices at will.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic, perspective view illustrating one form of apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2' is a fragmentary, diagrammatic view in sectional elevation, illustrating the principal parts of the mechanism of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, detail view in sectional elevation illustrating a form of mechanism for mechanically controlling one or more valves;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in sectional elevation illustrating an electrical form of mechanism for controlling one or more valves;

Fig. 5' is a diagrammatic view illustrating the principles of the mechanism of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts in a different position; and

Fig. 7 is a. view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention.

The apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 is illustrated as comprising a plurality of air cooling conduits or chambers l arranged in parallel. A sprayer head 2 is disposed in each of these chambers, being supplied through branch conduits 3 from a main conduit 4. A conduit 4 runs to a pump 5 which through a conduit 6, draws water 1 from an evaporator tank 8.

The water discharged from a sprayer head 2 is caught in a pan 9 and a portion of it is returned to the sprayer head through a conduit III, a pump H and conduit 3B. Since all of. the water withpasses thence through a conduit II to a conduit l2 which delivers it to a sump or tank l3, the lower end of the conduit or pipe l2 being submerged in the water in the tank l3. A pipe or conduit H which is also submerged deeply in the water of the tank l3 leads to the'evaporator and has provided in it a fioat controlled valve in a valve housing l5. The evacuation of the evaporator causes the water to be sucked through the conduit M from the tank i3 whenever the fioat controlled valve is open. The float controlled valve is connected through a stem Hi to a crank |1 fast on a rock shaft |1, and the shaft H has fast upon it a float carrying crank (not shown) which floats upon the surface of the water in a float chamber Hi. The fioat chamber communicates with the evaporator above and below the water level through pipes l9 and 26.

The rate of flow of water through the conduit 3 is increased and diminished within narrow limits in accordance with the temperature of the water flowing through the conduit ll. A thermo-responsive element is located in the conduit 1 and comprises a bulb 2| filled with a suitable expanding fluid such as alcohol. The bulb 2| of the thermo-responsive element is connected through capillary tubing 22 with suitable valve operating mechanism of known construction located in a chamber 23. The valve operating mechanism conrols a valve located in a housing 24, the housing 24 being interposed in the conduit 3. Instead of locating the thermo-responsive element 2| in the conduit H, as described, the element may be located in the air cooling chamber beyond. the spray as shown at the left in Fig. 1. In the former arrangement if the water fiowing into conduit II is above a predetermined temperature the valve in the chamber 24 will be moved to a more open position to increase the rate of water flow slightly, and if the water in the conduit H is below the desired temperature the valve will be moved toward closed position to impede the flow. Since the temperature of the water in the conduit depends upon whether the system is properly adjusted to the thermal load, the rate of water flow is thus made to increase or diminish slightly as increased or diminished refrigeraton. is required.

The same kind of result is secured when the thermo-responsive element is located in the cooling chamber. A rise of temperature causes the valve to be moved to a more open position, while a drop in temperature causes the valve to be moved toward closed position so that the rate of water flow is dependent upon the relation of the thermal load to the magnitude of the water refrigeration applied by the evaporator.

The evaporator is evacuated by means of three steam ejectors 25, 26 and 21. Two of these ejectors namely 25 and 26, are manually controllable and may be normally in continuous operation under heavy load conditions, but the ejector 21 is made automatically responsive to'the rate of flow of the water in the conduit 4 so that it will be automatically operated intermittently in accordance with the requirements. Steam is supplied to all three ejectors from a steam main 28, being delivered to the ejectors 26, 26 and 21 through pipes 29, 30 and 3|, respectively. Manually operable valves 32 and 33 are interposed in the pipes 29 and 30, so that either or both of the ejectors 25 and 26 may be cut out of operation when required. The ejectors 25, 26 and 21 communicate with the topo! the evaporator tank 8 through pipes 34, 36 and 36. Manually operable valves 31 and 36 are interposed in the pipes 34 and 35 so that any ejector which is manually rendered inoperative may also be cut of! from communication with the evaporator'tankr The and load the ejector unnecessarily by providing a short circulating path.

The steam pipe 3| leading to the ejector 21,

and the pipe 36 connecting the ejector 21 with the evaporator tank 8, are both equipped with valves, andthese valves are maintained under the automatic control of a flow-meter 39 which is responsive to the rate of water flow in the conduit 4 as shown in Fig. 4. An orifice plate 40 is interposed in the conduit 4 so as to provide a pressure drop in the conduit dependent on the rate of water flow. Tubes 4| and 42 communicate with the conduit below and above the orifice plate, respectively, and communicate with one another through a manometer tube 43 which is partly filled with mercury 44. A mercury cup 45 of relatively large cross section is interposed between the tube 42 and the tube 43 so that a change of the pressure difference at the opposite sides of the orifice plate 40 is reflected principally in a rise or fall of the mercury in the leg 46 of the manometer tube 43.

The leg 46 has an enlarged upper end 41 in which a sealing insulating block 48 is secured by means of a threaded ring 49. The block carries conductive terminals 50 and 5| from which conductive rods 52 and 53 extend downward into the leg 46. The rod 53 extends farther down than the rod 52. A conductive terminal 54 in a branch 56 of the manometer tube is connected through a conductor 51 with one terminal of a battery 58. The other terminal of the battery is connected through a conductor 59 with a winding 60 of a solenoid 6|'. The other end of the solenoid winding 60 is connected to branched conductors 62 and. 63, the latter conductor being connected to the terminal 50. The terminal 5| is connected through a conductor 64 with a switch 65. These structures are clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

When the mercury in the leg 46 stands below the lower end of rod 53 no circuit is closed and no current fiows from the battery 58. When the mercury rises to the level shown in Fig. 4, it makes contact with the rod 53 but still no circuit is closed. When .the mercury rises further so as to engage the rod 52 a circuit is closed through 51, 54 the mercury in the manometer, the rod 52, terminal 50, conductor 63, winding 60, and conductor 59. This acts to drawthe switch 65 to a.

the battery through the rod 5| which will stay closed after the mercury leaves contact with the rod 52 and until it leaves contact with the rod 53. When the solenoid 6| is energized by a fiow of battery current it closes a. switch 61 to connect conductors 66 and '69 of a valve operating circuit. The conductor 69 is connected to one terminal of a current supply line and the conductor 16 is connected to the opposite terminal of the current supply line.

The conductors 68 and 10 are connected to opposite terminals of a valve operating solenoid 1| which solenoid when energized opens the valve in the steam pipe 3| of the ejector 21. When the solenoid is de-energized the valve is closed by a spring (not shown). 4

Branch lines 12 and 13 connect the conductors 68 and 10 respectively with opposite terminals of a valve operating solenoid 10 for opening the valve located in the pipe 30. The valve is returned to closed position by means of a spring (not shown) when the solenoid is de-energized.

The increased refrigeration of the machine produced by the operation of the ejector 21 will be in excess of the refrigeration required at the particular load and hence when the ejector has by making the rods 52 and 53 of almost. equal lengths. Since extremely fine regulation is not of practical importance, and since such regulation would involve very frequent starting and stopping of the ejector 21, it is preferable to make the rod 53 enough longer than the rod 52 to provide a substantial lag, so that the ejector will be caused to operate fora substantial length of time whenever it is set into operation.

Provision is desirably made for chemically treating the cooling water to neutralize impurities picked up from the air, such as sulphides and carbonates, so as to avoid the damaging effect which such substances would have on the mercury in the manometer. The water is also maintained sufllciently pure to avoid its acquiring tanks 30, I5 and I0.- A water cooling system isprovided for cooling these condensers, this system being entirely distinct from the water cooling system previously referred to for cooling the air. The condenser cooling system'coinprises a conduit 'II for carrying water from a cooling tower to the condenser tank 33 and branch conduits I8 and 10 for delivering a porti "n of this water to the tanks I5 and I0.- Partiticn plates 30 in opposite ends of the tank 39 divi'ie the tank into end manifolds for the cooling mater and bound an intervening condensing space. Numerous pipes 0| extend across the condensing space for conducting the cooling water from the intake manifold to the outlet manifold of the tank 30. The construction of the tanks 3'! and i0 is similar to thatof the tank 30 in this respect. The cooling water is returned to the tower through a conduit 02 which communicates with the outlet manifold of the tank 39. Branch conduits 03 and 00 deliver water from the outlet manifolds of the tanks 16 and 15 to the conduit 32.-' A pump (not shown) is interposed in the conduit 11, in accordance with common practice, for driving the water to the tower. l

The tank 39 discharges to .a common condensing chamber of the condensing tank 15, be ng connected thereto to pipes 31, 30 and 00. The condenser tank 13 isdivided into upper and lower chambers .by means of a horizontal partition plate 00, and the uncondensed vapor from the tank 15 is delivered to the upper chamber of the tank I0 through a. pipe 0| by means of an ejector 32 which is supplied with steam through a pipe atmospheric pressure and-hence the water and any uncondensed vapor may be permitted to escape by gravity through a vent 01.

It will be appreciated, of course, that the high est, vacuum, or in other words the lowest absolute pressure, is maintained in the evaporator 3 and that the pressure in the condenser tank 30 is higher than that in the evaporator although still sub-atmospheric. The pressure in the tank I5 is substantially the same as that in the tank 39, while the pressure in the upper compartment of tank 13 is higher than that in the tank 15 but below atmospheric pressure. Finally the pressure in the lower compartment of tank 16 is the same as the pressure of the atmosphere.

Provision is made of suitable means, not shown, for withdrawing the condensate from the several condenser chambers through ports 39' and I5 (Fig. 2).

The embodiment disclosed in Fig. 7 is in general like that of Fig. 1, and hence corresponding parts have been designated by the same reference numerals with the subscript "c added. These parts will not be described in detail again. The Fig. 7 embodiment, however, involves certain features not present in the embodiment of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 7 the thermo-responsive element lie is mounted in the conduit I0c, making the arrangement a little more compact than the other construction. The flow meter control device 390 is mounted in the conduit I20 where it is wholly uninfluenced by pump pulsations.

The condensing space of condenser tank 330 is divided into separate compartments by partition plates and 86. Each of the ejectors 25c, 23c and 210 discharges into one of the compartments. Pipes 80c, 00c and 010 connect the respective compartments of tank 390 with the condenser tank Iic. I

There is no valve provided in the pipe 300 but instead a valve is provided in the pipe 01c which connects the tank 150 with the chamber of the tank 300 to which the ejector 21c discharges. This prevents circulation through the idle condenser chamber and back to the evaporator which would reheat the water in the evaporator and load the ejector unnecessarily, by providing a short circuiting path. Manually operable valves 03 and 90 are also provided in the pipes 000 and 090 so that anycompartment of the tank 39c which is rendered inoperative may be similarly shut off from communication with the tank 150.

In Fig. 3 disclosure is made of a mechanical valve operating means which may be used in lieu of the manometer and the electrical valve operating' means disclosed in Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6 and '7.

Pipes IM and 102 are connected to the conduit l at opposite sides of the orifice plate 00 and communicate respectively with chambers I03 and I04. A piston I05 has a large head I00 disposed in the chamber I 04 and a relatively small head I01 disposed in the chamber I03. A weight I00 is connected through a flexible cable I03 with a projection which is provided on the piston I05 adjacent the reduced head I0I. The cable I09 runs upon a pulley I II mounted on a valve body III.

The pressure per unit area of the liquid in the pipe I 02 is greater than the pressure per unit area in the pipe MI, and the piston head I 00 is of larger area than piston head M1. The piston would, therefore, normally be thrust to its left hand limit of movement with the shoulder I I3 in engagement with a face of the chamber I03 were it not for the balancing eflect of the weight I00.

With the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 3

a pipe II4 which communicates with a source of compressed air or other suitable motive fluid is placed in communication with the right hand end of a cylinder [I through passages H6 and I I1 formed in the valve body II2, a passage IIB formed in the piston body, and a pipe II 9. At the same time the left hand end of the cylinder H5 is vented to the atmosphere through a pipe I20, passages I2I and I22 in the valve body H2, and a passage I23 in the piston body.

A piston I24 in the cylinder H5 is thrust toward the left under the conditions described above to draw toward the left a piston rod I25. Movement of piston rod I25 toward the left serves to close a valve mounted in a valve housing I26.

When the rate of flow of the liquid in the conduit 4 increases, the pressure difference at opposite sides of the orifice plate 40 increases and as a consequence the piston I05 is thrust toward the left to move the passage II8 out of alignment with the passages H6 and II! and into alignment with passages I21 and I 28, thus placing the right hand end of cylinder H5 in communication with the atmosphere. At the same time the passage I23 is moved out of alignment with the passages I2I and I22 and into alignment with passages I29 and I 30 to place the left hand end of cylinder H5 in communication with the pressure pipe I I4. The piston I24 is thereupon thrust toward the right to open the valve in the housing I26. When the rate of flow of the liquid in the conduit 4 drops, the piston I05 will again travel toward the right and reestablish the connections shown in Fig. 3 to cause the valve in the housing I26 to be closed.

The mechanism described may be used for operating a plurality of valves just as the electrical connections of Fig. I operate a plurality of valves. This may be accomplished in a very simple manner by running branches from the pipes H9 and I20 to the opposite ends of another cylinder like the cylinder H5 for actuating another piston like the piston I24.

I have dacribed what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish. however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid in heat exchanging relation-with the air in said chamber, thermoresponsive, valve means for varying the rate of delivery of the cooling liquid to the chamber within narrow limits, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid, and means responsive to the rate of flow of the cooling liquid and controlling the refrigerating means, for increasing the rate at which heat is extracted from the liquid sufficiently to lower the temperature of the delivered liquid when the rate of flow is slightly increased.

2. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, and means for circulating a cooling liquid in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, in combination, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid, comprising an evaporator and a plurality of steam ejectors arranged to operate ,upon the evaporator, means responsive to a thermal load condition for automatically setting one of the steam ejectors into operation and disabling it to change the temperature of the refrigerated liquid as the thermal load is increased and diminished, a plurality of distinct condenser chambers to which the steam ejectors discharge, respectively, a subsequent condenser to which all of said chambers discharge, and means for automatically disconnecting from the subsequent condenser the chamber to which the automatically controlled ejector is arranged to discharge when said ejector is disabled.

3. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, means for automatically varying the rate of delivery of the cooling liquid to the chamber within narrow limits in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the thermal load, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid comprising a plurality of liquid refrigerating devices arranged to work simultaneously, and means for automatically cutting one of the devices into and out of operation to vary to an exaggerated degree the temperature of the refrigerated liquid in relation to variations of liquid flow as the rate of liquid flow is increased and diminished, comprising means for setting the device into operation when the rate of flow increases to a predetermined value, and for disabling the device when the rate of flow falls below a predetermined, lower value.

4. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, means for automatically varying the rate of delivery of the cooling liquid to the chamber within narrow limits in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the thermal load, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid comprising a plurality of liquid refrigerating devices arranged to work simultaneously, and means for automatically cutting one of the devices into and out of operation to vary to an exaggerated degree the temperature of the refrigerated liquid in relation to variations of liquid flow as the rate of liquid flow is increased and diminished, comprising means in the liquid circulating system for producing a pressure drop dependent in value upon the rate of liquid flow, means for measuring the pressure difference thus produced and responsive to said pressure difference, and means responsive to said measuring means for controlling the refrigerating device.

5. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating acooling liquid in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, means for automatically varying the rate of delivery of the cooling liquid to the chamber within narrow limits in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the thermal load, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid comprising a plurality of liquid refrigerating devices arranged to work simultaneously; and means for automatically cutting one of the devicesv into and out of operation to vary to an exaggerated degree the temperature of the refrigerated liquid in relation tovariations of liquid flow as the rate of liquid flow is increased and diminished, comprising means in the liquid circulating system for producing'a pressure drop dependent in value upon tcrmined level and to be opened by the fall of said liquid.

6. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid in heat exchanging relatlon-with the air in said chamber, means for automatically varying the rate of delivery of the cooling liquid to the chamber within narrow limits in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the thermal load, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid comprising a plurality of liquid refrigerating devices arranged to work simultaneously, and means for automatically cutting one of the devices into and out of operation to vary to an exaggerated degree the temperature of the refrigerated liquid in relation to variations of liquid flow as the rate of liquid flow is increased and diminished, comprising means in the the liquid circulating system for producing a pressure drop dependent in value upon the rate of liquid flow, means comprising a manometer tube for measuring the pressure difference thus produced and responsive to said pressure difference, and an electrical circuit adapted to be closed by, the rise of the conductive liquid in one leg of'the manometer above a predetermined level and to be opened by the fall of said liquid, below a predetermined lower level.

'7. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, means for automatically varying the rate of delivery of the cooling liquid to the chamber within narrow limits in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the thermal load, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid comprising a plurality of liquid refrigerating devices arranged to work simultaneously, and means for automatically cuttingpne of the devices into and out of operation to vary to an exaggerated degree the temperature of the refrigerated liquid in relation to variations of liquid flow as the rate of liquid flow is increased and diminished, comprising means in the liquid circulating system for producing a pressure drop dependent in value upon the rate of liquid flow, means for measuring the pressure difference thus produced and responsive to said pressure difference, and means mechanically controlled by said measuring means for controlling the refrigerating device.

8. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid at a nearly constant rate,,substantially equal to the maximum rate for which the system is designed, in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, means for automatically slightly varying the rate of flow ofthe cooling liquid to the chamber within predetermined limits in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the thermal load requirements, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid, and flow responsive means for automatically increasing to an exaggerated degreemeans for circulating a cooling'liquid in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chambers, comprising branch conduits individual vto the chambers and a main conduit delivering to the branch conduits, thermo-responsive, throttling means individual to the branch conduits and the chambers and governed respectively by the thermal loads of the chambers for controlling the rate of delivery of the cooling liquid to each chamber and thereby affectingthe rate of flow in the main conduit in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the combined thermal loads, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid, and means responsive to the rate of flow of the cooling medium in the main conduit for increasing the'liquid refrigeration to an exaggerated degree in relation to the change in the rate of flow.

10. In an air conditioning system having a plurality of air cooling-chambers, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid in heat exchanging relationwith the air in each chamber comprising branch conduits individual to each chamber and common delivery and return main conduits common to the chambers a thermo-responsive element individual to each chamber and disposed in the liquid circulating system to be exposed to the cooling liquid after the liquid has cooled the air in the chamber, a valve controlled by said element for regulating the rate of flow of the cooling liquid to the associated chamber in the branch conduit individual thereto and each aflecting the rate of flow in the main conduits in accordance with but less than in unison with variations in the combined thermal loads, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid, and a device responsive to the rate of flow of the cooling liquid in one of the main conduits for varying the temperature of the refrigerated liquid in an exaggerated degree with respect to variations in the rate of flow.

11. In an air conditioning system having anair cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid at a nearly constant rate in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid comprising an evaporator and a plurality of steam electors arranged to operate upon the evaporator, and means responsive to a thermal load condition for automatically setting one of the steam electors into operation and disabling it to change the temperature of the refrigerated liquid as the thermal load is increased and diminished.

12. In an air conditioning system having an air cooling chamber, in combination, means for circulating a cooling liquid at a nearly constant rate in heat exchanging relation with the air in said chamber, temperature responsive valve means for automatically slightly varying the rate of flow of the cooling liquid to the chamber in accordance with but less than in unison with the thermal load requirements, means for refrigerating the cooling liquid, and means responsive to the rate of flow of the cooling liquid to the chamber and controlling the refrigerating means vfor automatically increasing the rate at which heat isextracted from the liquid sufficiently to ex-' ceed the thermal load when the rate of flow of the cooling liquid exceeds a predetermined value.

- JOSEPH M. SPERZEL. 

